AT&T TV patroned a Black creator house that launched five unproven TikTok talents

Show there is not only a moral imperative to support and promote Black creatives but a real business opportunity in letting them authentically connect with their audiences on the brand's behalf — as an always-on content solution for AT&T TV.

A Fortune 10 brand became the sole patron of a creator house, dropped brand briefs and let five Black creators make whatever their audiences wanted

Five young multidisciplinary creators lived in the house from February to August 2021, producing up to ten videos a month for TikTok plus halo content on Instagram and Twitch, with mentorship in industry practices, financial planning and creative production. Reality-TV-styled comedy and skits replaced brand scripts.

622K followers gained, 69M video views, 13M likes, 67K comments, 91K shares, a 20% video engagement rate (11 points above the TikTok benchmark) and AdWeek's 2021 Creator House of the Year.

'The Crib Around The Corner' was a creator collab house built to move Black creators to the forefront of a trend that was passing them by. AT&T TV, a Fortune 10 brand, signed on as the house's patron, making it the brand's always-on content solution for TikTok, generating ten videos per month with halo content on Instagram and Twitch.

In partnership with a Black-owned influencer management company, the house connected five of America's young, unproven but multidisciplinary creators, who lived in the house from February to August 2021 and created up to ten videos a month, individually and collaboratively, around comedy and skit making. They also received hands-on mentorship around industry practices, financial planning and creative production, mapping a path to career longevity.

The house eliminated brand briefs and simply asked the talent to make content their audiences wanted. Content strategies were executed in a matter of hours, and the best work came when the talent made their own creative decisions. The launch took place during Black History Month, though the house did not specifically call BHM out.

Giving five creators a house and seven months of runway bought the brand 69M views at the speed of culture.

Dropping brand briefs removed the inauthenticity Gen Z audiences punish fastest.

Mentorship in finances and production made the patronage a career path, not a one-off gig.

An always-on house model gave AT&T TV a steady stream of content instead of a single campaign burst.

Handing creators the brief-less keys to their own audience can out-engage scripted brand content, if the brand accepts being a patron rather than a director.

The case was published on LBBOnline in February 2022 with AdWeek's 2021 Creator House of the Year among its results; the material records no further seasons.